The Charleston Gazette reported on July 26 that the governor’s office has refused a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from that newspaper to release records of correspondence between Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and the oil and gas industry relating to Marcellus shale gas regulation.
Letters from individuals and environmental groups were shared with The Charleston Gazette, but correspondence between the Governor’s office and representatives of the oil and gas industry and related trade groups were withheld. Per the Gazette, “(Kurt)Dettinger, (Tomblin’s General Counsel), said the Governor’s Office “consulted with members of the industry seeking their opinions and advice and we believe the opinions and advice on a regulatory proposal are exempt under West Virginia’s FOIA statute.” Dettinger stated that withheld correspondence was part of the “deliberative process” and as such exempt from FOIA.
Full story in Charleston Gazette by Ken Ward, Jr.
Point Your RSS Reader to FrackCheckWV.net/feed/
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
There’s a shocker.